172. “The Return” (帰郷 “Kikyō”?)
Naruto and Tsunade return home and we see old faces like Neji, Hinata, Lee and Shikamaru. Everything is fine in the village and now Tsunade will take on the role of the 5th Hokage. And oh yeah, Shikamaru is a Chunin now.

173. “Anguish” (苦悩する者たち”Kunōsurumono-tachi”?)
Naruto shows off by telling how he used his new moves while Sasuke feels a bit jealous (?) when Naruto saves Sakura and not him from Gaara. In other place, the sound Ninja’s are preparing to invade the leaf village under the eye of Orochimaru.

174. “Feelings…!” (想い、それぞれ…! “Omoi, sorezore…!”?)
Sasuke feels inferior to Naruto so that pushes him to offer Naruto a fight so up next it’s Naruto vs Sasuke.

175. “Naruto vs. Sasuke!!” (ナルトvsサスケ!!?)
Both boys imagine thier moves, what they gonna do and all that. They go on the roof and prepare to fight. Sasuke claims that Naruto is too full of himself.

176. “Rivals” (ライバルというもの “Raibaru to iu mono”?)
Kakashi comes in to stop both of them. Sasuke is kind of out of character. Kakashi thinks Itachi has done something to him. The sound ninjas are here.

178. “Invitation…!!” (音の誘い…!! “Oto no izanai…!!”?)
The sound Ninjas invite Sasuke to Orochimaru. They said that Orochimaru will give him the strength he is looking for.

179. “Never Forget…!!” (忘れるな…!!”Wasureruna…!!”?)
Sasuke comes at the ninjas with his cursed seal on but only to discover they too possess this cursed seal further indicating Orochimaru’s guidance. On the other hand Lee is having depressing thoughts about his injury and how he is not going to be a ninja forever.

180. “A Promise!!” (約束だ!! “Yakusoku da!!”?)
The whole chapter is devoted to Lee and Gai Sensei. Gai tells Lee to take the surgery and be strong in life. Lee has flashbacks and learns a lot of lessons from Gai.

163. “Undecayed…!!” (朽ちぬもの…!!”Kuchinumono…!!”?)
Tsunade sees her brother in Naruto and the sheer will to become a Hokage one day so she cancels the deal with Orochimaru and let the fight begin.

164. “Medical Specialists!!” (医療忍者!!”Supesharisuto!!”?)
It’s Kabuto vs Tsunade. Both are medical ninjas and both have unique ways of fighting. It’s quite interesting. I liked the fight. Kabuto hit her respiratory system and Tsunade damaged his nervous system.

165. “Naruto Attacks!!” (ナルト、突撃っ!!”Naruto, totsugeki!!”?)
Naruto only has one move he does over and over again and that’s Kage Bunshin (the clone one). I love how Tsunade’s pig gets a cameo too here and there lol now finally it’s Jiraiya vs Orochimaru. Snake vs frog.

167. “As Promised…!!” (約束通り…!!”Yakusoku dōri…!!”?)
As promised Naruto begins to shine and delivers a really hard technique and nearly destroys Kabuto. Well, about to destroy. That’s what we’re gonna find out in the next chapter.

169. “Risking Everything…!!” (命を懸ける…!!”Inochi o kakeru…!!”?)
Tsunade survives the attack going into the 5th Hokage mode and now all of the Three Legendary Ninjas are going to battle it out. The Frog, the Snake and the Slug.

170. “Deadlock!!!” (三竦みの攻防!!”Sansukumi no kōbō!!”?)
The Three start the fight and Tsunade manages to deliver a good punch in Orochimaru’s face.

171. “Successor” (受け継ぐ者”Uketsugumono”?)
Orochimaru retreats and Tsunade announces that she will return to the village as the 5th Hokage.

154. “Convergence…!!” (到達…!!”Tōtatsu…!!”?)
Naruto remembers the lesson he was taught as a kid regarding concentration. The leaf on the forehead method. And Orochimaru finally finds Tsunade.

155. “The Third State” (第三段階 “Daisan dankai”?)
Naruto practices the third stage while Orochimaru wants Tsunade to cure him but it looks like they have a bit of history.

156. “The Offer” (取り引き “Torihiki”?)
Orochimaru strikes a deal with Tsunade that if she would revive his arms then he would bring her loved ones back using the forbidden seal. This gets Tsunade thinking.

157. “Tsunade’s Answer…?!” (答えは…!?”Kotae wa…!?”?)
Orochimaru wants to destroy the leaf village but he wants Tsunade to revive his arms. Then Jiraiya meets with Tsunade (he finds her in a pub drinking) and offers her the job for the 5th Hokage. So Tsunade is torn between the decisions.

158. “No Forgiveness…!!” (許さねぇ…!!”Yurusane…!!”?)
Tsunade says no to become a hokage which Naruto takes it seriously. They take the fight outside of the bar and Tsunade sees a glimpse of her brother in Naruto.

159. “The Wager…!!” (賭け…!! “Kake…!!”?)
Naruto attacks Tsunade using his training which she deflects but is also impressed by his jutsu. She still sees her brother in him so he wagers him to learn a specific jutsu in a week and then come back. Jiraiya and Tsunade have a talk over drinks.

160. “The Necklace of Death…!!” (死の首飾り…!! “Shi no kubikazari…!!”?)
A chapter showing flashbacks of Tsunade and how she lost loved ones.

161. “Tsunade’s Choice!!” (綱手の決意!!”Tsunade no ketsui”?)
Damn Tsunade. Naruto has one week to prove himself and he does his best. Orochimaru also gave Tsunade one week. Now one week is over and Jiraiya visits Tsunade in the bar and receives a drink. The ending of this chapter is one of the best I’ve seen yet.

162. “A Vulnerable Heart…!!” (抗えぬ心…!!”Aragaenu kokoro…!!”?)
Tsunade’s answer is yes to Orochimaru in exchange he leaves the village alone. This is getting interesting. I know for a fact not to believe in Orochimaru. The guy looks like a terror.

145. “Memories of Despair” (絶望の記憶”Zetsubō no kioku”?)
Intersting start of this new Volume. Itachi is right in front of Naruto whole Sasuke is nearby looking for Naruto. This chapter mainly has a flashback of Itachi and Sasuke as brothers when they were young. Sasuke wanted Itachi to teach him stuff but he wouldn’t bother. Then one day Sasuke finds Itachi over the dead bodies of his parents. Could Itachi have killed his own parents? Finally, in the present, Sasuke finds Itachi and they both come face to face.

146. “Along with Hatred…!!” (憎悪とともに…!!”Zōo to tomo ni…!!”?)
Sasuke is determined to kill Itachi. He has lived his life only for this. Naruto charges up his chakra and Jiraya comes in to rescue them.

147. “It’s My Fight!!” (オレの戦い!! “Ore no tatakai!!”?)
Jiraya takes them all in his big toad mouth as Itachi was about to hurt Sasuke.

148. “Itachi’s Power!!” (イタチの能力!! “Itachi no chikara!!?)
Itachi did some damage to Kakashi before and now to Sasuke. He did some mental damage. Jiraya speaks to Gai about getting him to the hospital. Jiraya then goes to find Tsunade and she appears as a princess elsewhere.

149. “The Legendary…!!” (伝説の…!!”Densetsu no…!!”?)
It seems Tsunade is as old as Jiraya but she can change appearance. She loves to gamble. Naruto and Jiraya continue to find her.

150. “Training Begins…?!” (修行開始…!?”Shūgyō kaishi…!?”?)
Naruto’s training begins after a series of comics. Really not a fan of the comedy.

151. “The Hook…!!” (きっかけ…!!”Kikkake…!!”?)
Jiraya starts to teach him how to use the Chakra for Ninjitsus.

152. “The Second State” (第二段階 “Daini dankai”?)
Naruto learns the second step: How to deflate a ball using chakra and he has managed it well under Jiraya’s teaching.

153. “The Searchers!!” (捜索者たち!!”Sōsakusha-tachi”?)
Orochimaru who is in pain from his battle with Hokage, is after Tsunade too for a cure for his arms. He finds out her whereabouts and locates her. Naruto is still undergoing the training from Jiraya, the pervert senin.

136. “The Last Blow…!!” (最後の一撃…!!”Saigo no ichigeki…!!”?)
Naruto gathers more chakra even when he was burned out. His fox seal lends him some chakra which he uses to attack Gaara and headbutts him. Meanwhile the fight between Hokage and Orochimaru is ongoing and it is nearing the end when Oro puts a sword through him but Hokage says the end is here. Looks like he has something in store.

137. “The Shinobi of Konoha…!!” (木ノ葉の忍…!! “Konoha no shinobi…!!”?)
Hokage pushes a dagger in Orochimaru’s belly with a third arm and he takes away all his powers and jutsus. During this process the Third Hokage falls. Quite an emotional read.

138. “Operation Destroy Konoha, Terminated!!” (木ノ葉崩し、終結!! “Konoha kuzushi, shūketsu!!”?)
Orochimaru escapes after the Hokage falls. He can’t feel his arms at all so he escapes. Naruto and Gaara and on the floor and Kankuro comes and takes Gaara away.

139. “Eulogy…!!” (その者の名は…!! “Sono mono no na wa…!!”?)
The village attends the funeral of the Third Hokage. Meanwhile two mysterious guys enter the village.

140. “Contact…!!” (接近…!! “Sekkin…!!”?)
The council wants Jiraya to be a temporary Hokage but he refuses and wants Tsunade to be it. So he wants to go and search for Tsunade. And I think he is taking Naruto with him.

141. “Uchiha Itachi!!” (うちはイタチ!!?)
The mysterious guys entering the village are revealed to be Itachi and some other guy. They fight with one of the sensei on the bridge and at the end Kakashi arrives.

142. “Kakashi vs. Itachi” (カカシvsイタチ?)
Itachi reveals his Sharingan eye which Kakashi can only look into with his Sharingan eye. Itachi reveals that he is here for Naruto and now Sasuke.

144. “The Pursuers” (追跡者 “Tsuisekisha”?)
Sasuke figures out that Itachi is after Naruto so he asks where he went. He got told that Jiraya San took him to a town nearby. He goes there but Itachi is there first.

127. “To Feel Alive…!!” (生の実感…!!) “Sei no jikkan…!!”?)
Sasuke and Gaara still talk and talk about loneliness and shit and finally Gaara convinces Sasuke to fight him and there we go.

128. “Exceeding One’s Limits…!!” (限界を超えて…!! “Genkai o koete…!!”?)
Gaara is constantly changing shapes and confusing Sasuke and Sasuke has no option but to use the Chidori. You can only use Chidori once a day. But even that Gaara deflects that. But then Naruto comes to rescue but there is one problem. The curse on Sasuke has been activated.

129. “To Hurt…!!!” (痛み…!! “Itami…!!”?)
We get to see the back story of Gaara. How he was a kid and all the kids would run away from him because he was too powerful or something and then he would force them to be with him saying he didn’t wanna be alone. He attacks Sakura who was holding Sasuke. Naruto is there and he is stuck. He doesn’t know what to do.

130. “Love…!!” (愛情…!! “Aijō…!!”?)
Yashamaru (who is Gaara’s caretaker) teaches Gaara that love is the only thing that pushes hatred away. Gaara tries to take some medicine for the guy he beat earlier but they all see him as a monster. His natural instinct is to attack. And he attacks Yashamaru.

131. “The Name Gaara…!!” (我愛羅という名…!! “Gaara to iu na…!!”?)
Yashamaru is dying and he reveals something which will change Gaara’s life. He told him that he was sent to kill him by his father. He also said that most part of it was from his own personal side. He secretly hated him for what he did to his sister (Gaara’s mother, she died giving birth to him). He told Gaara that his mother resented him and she put a sand curse on him that he would live eternal in hatred. This is the Gaara Naruto is seeing before him who has captured Sakura against the tree.

132. “The Two… Darkness and Light” (二人…闇と光 “Futari… Yami to hikari”?)
Naruto finds some kind of resemblance between him and Gaara. He remembered his time when all the village used to hate him for having the nine tailed fox in him and destroying the village until some of his teachers took him in and showed some affection. He figured it was the same for Gaara. He needed some attention and friends. But Gaara is transformed into this huge sand monster and Naruto is determined to beat him.

133. “Those Who Are Strong…!!” (強き者…!!”Tsuyokimono…!!”?)
Naruto strikes on Gaara using his clones and taijutsu blows. He manages to strike buying some time. Sasuke tells Naruto to get Sakura and run away. He is gonna hold Gaara as long as he can. But Naruto has other plans. This kind of motivates him and he goes into full power. Clones everywhere man.

134. “Naruto’s Ninja Handbook!” (ナルト忍法帖!! “Naruto ninpōchō!!”?)
Gaara goes into his final form when Naruto began his clone attack. This shocked everybody, the final form of Gaara. But a huge frog jumps out and vows to defeat Gaara. Naruto summoned him or something. A funny chapter but good.

135. “The Gale-Like Battle…!!” (嵐の如き戦い!! “Arashi no gotoki tatakai!!”?)
The frog wants something with claws so it can rip Gaara apart when he does the sleep move. The frog is on par with Gaara and a huge fox comes out into attack too.

118. “Detainment…!!” (足止め…!!”Ashidome…!!”?)
Kakashi’s dog, Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru are going after Sasuke while there are ninjas behind them. Shikamaru tells the group to go ahead while he delays the ninjas by creating a diversion.

119. “The Life I Wanted…!!” (オレの人生…!!”Ore no jinsei…!!”?)
Shikamaru is surrounded by the enemy ninjas and the shadow is shortened so it is no use. He is about to be attacked when Asuma, the jounin teacher comes to the rescue and defeats the ninjas. Woo.

120. “Hokage vs. Hokage!!” (火影VS火影!!?)
Orochimaru and Hokage are fighting with each other exchanging some high level jutsus. Very advanced and I like reading them. Then Hokage goes like ‘Ima take this to the Shinobi level, bitch!’

121. “The Terrible Experiment…!!” (恐るべき実験…!! “Osorubeki jikken…!!”?)
Orochimaru finally spills out his plans and comes out of his shell. He is planning on casting an Immortality spell and he wants Sasuke’s body for possession.

122. “The Bestowed Will!!” (受け継がれてゆく意志!! “Uketsugarete yuku ishi!!”?)
The theme has gone a bit dark as Hokage and Orochimaru discuss in the purple box on top of the tower. Hokage wants to fight him and he goes in for one more shot.

123. “The Final Seal” (最後の封印 “Saigo no fūin”?)
Both are equally good but I think the Hokage has an advantage here and he delivers it.

124. “The Eternal Battle…!!” (永遠なる闘い…!! “Eien naru tatakai…!!”?)
The fight goes on as Jiraiya steps in with his frog form. Meanwhile Shino is talking to sasuke about some female fragrance or something.

125. “The Time of Awakening…!!” (目覚めの時…!! “Mezame no toki…!!”?)
Gaara is facing Sasuke and he is breaking out of his shell. Gaara is going to show his real face.

126. “Off Guard…!!” (油断…!! “Yudan…!!”?)
Kankuro and Shino fight and it is a good one. Hokage and Orochimaru fight and looks like Hokage is going down. Shino is on the top of the fight. I like Shino.